Jan. 31: Ailments and silliness and cell phones, oh my!

Given the volume of comments after my last post, I can clearly see that I am incredibly popular and widely read. Thank you so much!! And Lori, I love you best of all.

Everyone at Manullang Manor is sick, and no one can decide if he/she has the flu or a cold. It sucks to be anyone living in or visiting our house right now. The dogs aren't minding it too much because they have so many options for cuddle buddies with all of us laying around like slugs. But otherwise... bleah.

Our niece Presley is the cutest thing EVER. Here's the latest from Sally: A few nights ago while Daryl and I were reading Presley a good night story we started talking to each other about something else so Presley said, "Mom, Dad, I really need you to focus right now." That same night we were talking about "Over The Hedge" and what the characters were named. I said the turtle was named "Vern" and then said, "I used to work with a guy named Vern." Presley promptly said, "I used to work with a guy named Hammy."

Am I right? She's a kick, and even more so in person.

You know how much I love gadgets, so it should be no surprise that I have to blog about my new phone. It's super cool. It is not necessarily the phone itself that is so super cool, but the fact that it does something besides drop calls, which is pretty much all my last one did. My grandma got my old phone and even though we programmed all the important contacts into it and have simplified instructions as much as possible, she has still called my mom asking to talk to my sister. Also, she was disgusted to have received a wrong number and after hanging up, loudly announced, "They were Mexican," as though that explained the whole thing. Of course, this was in the middle of lunch at a Mexican restaurant. I'm pretty sure there ended up being a large amount of waitstaff saliva and other bodily fluids in her food. I'm also pretty sure I don't ever want to get that old or racist. Anyway, back to my phone! Um... I already said everything there is to say.

Today is the day Disney Cruise Line finally releases dates and rates for its 7-day Mexican Riviera cruises in the summer of 2008. The Jordans and Manullangs plan to be on one, or even better, the 15-day repositioning cruise through the Panama Canal. I'm a little nervous about the idea of spending 15 days straight with Mickey & Friends... I mean, I don't know if even I could take that.

My head is pounding, my throat hurts, I'm coughing up goo, and my head really is pounding. Gotta nap. Lovies--

Jen

Jan. 29: So damn needy

Today's topic is "ego." Please use the comments feature to give me the compliment you think I would most enjoy to hear about myself. This is not about me trolling for comments, nor is it a license to criticize anonymously. OK, maybe it is about me being a troll.

Lie if you must. Face it, you'll need to.

Jan. 24: A chat with Captain Jack

A recent conversation with my 5-year-old, who is a huge fan of all things Pirates of the Caribbean:

Jack: Mom, how did you know to name me Jack?
Me: What do you mean?
Jack: How did you know I would like Jack Sparrow?
Me: Honey, Jack Sparrow didn't even exist when we named you (as if he'll understand this...). We didn't know who you would like. Daddy and I just liked the name "Jack."
He contemplates this.
Jack: I like my name but I want you to call me Jack Sparrow.

Jan. 23: The SoTU is FUBAR, IMHO

See Jon Stewart's preview of the State of the Union address: Bitter rivals: Bush vs. Words. (BTW, if you're prompted to install the Viewpoint add-on, you don't have to; you can still view the site without it.) And don't miss tomorrow night's show! It promises to be even better, as it will... um... well, it'll review the actual address.

("Roget's Monosaurus"--gotta love it!)

Jan. 23: Two very special birthdays

Happy birthday to Lori, who always reminds others that she is younger than my sister but never likes when I add, "But she's still older than I am." heh heh

Also, happy birthday and a big ol' "welcome to the world!" to a sweetheart of a girl who was born this morning to my most wonderful friend Alisa and her husband Tom. I get to meet Brooke tomorrow and will try to get some pictures to post here.

January 23... what a happy day!

Jan. 23: Because I'm a dork, that's why

Jan. 19: Gimme gimme gimme

Me, talking to Jack and Katie this evening: "We get to see Appie soon!"
Jack: "I want her to bring me some surprises."
Me: "You know, people can come see you without bringing you stuff."
Jack, positively horrified: "WHAT???"

Jan. 18: The movies are wrong

Today's web site is How to Safely Swim with Piranhas. Apparently it is possible to swim with the little buggers without being devoured. Why anyone would want to do this, I do not know. Of course, I don't get why people have pet tarantulas, either. Or defy their mothers-in-law.

My favorite part is this little nugget, which might just be the definition of "irony":

Piranhas are said to be delicious and are a popular food in some areas where they are found.

Go ahead, I dare ya.

--Jen

Jan. 17: A peek at my incompetencies

I am not very good at these things:

• serving a volleyball
  
• playing chess
  
• making Thanksgiving dinner
  
• not singing along
  
• throwing away magazines
  
• saying "no"
  
• sitting through an episode of "The Doodlebops"
  
• hiding disgust
  
• driving in snow
  
• lying
  
• listening to George W. Bush speak without doing that Kramer/Mary Hart thing
  
• drawing recognizable objects on paper tablecloths in restaurants (instead I write naughty things and draw arrows toward my tablemates)
  
• solving world hunger
  
• getting the bottle of grenadine syrup open
  
• keeping track of who's who in Vic's extended family
  
• recycling
  
• being tolerant of intolerance
  
• dieting
  
• choosing good coffee drinks anywhere other than Starbucks
  
• oil painting
  
• replying to e-mails in a timely manner
  
• having my picture taken
  
• caring one bit about football

Jan. 17: A woman of many talents

Some things I can do efficiently:

• spell
  
• make lists
  
• sort dirty clothes
  
• travel
  
• give stupid drivers the stink-eye
  
• TiVo
  
• boss people
  
• break bones in my feet
  
• shop online
  
• make better choices off a menu than Vic
  
• worry endlessly
  
• program my cell phone
  
• burn microwave popcorn every time
  
• develop migraines
  
• nap
  
• fall down stairs (with very little encouragement!)
  
• remember meaningless numerical sequences
  

Jan. 16: Kiddie drugs

Medications I remember LOVING:

1. St. Joseph Baby Aspirin. Who didn't enjoy a headache with this stuff around??? That subtle sweet orangey flavor was simply divine.
   
2. The plaque-revealing red pills handed out on swish-swash day at school. They tasted a little weird, but it looked so cool to have a totally "bloody" mouth.
   
3. Phenergan syrup. There was a big bottle of this in our medicine cabinet and I used to sneak a sip once in a while. It was a little grape-y, and so sweet and yummy.
   
4. Flintstone vitamins. Our mom wouldn't get these because they were "full of sugar!" but I would sneak them on babysitting gigs. They'd get stuck in my back teeth and I could still taste them hours later.
   
5. Tofranil. These teeny tiny triangular pills were prescribed to make me stop peeing the bed. They worked, but only because they kept me awake all night. The coating on them was super sweet but if I sucked on them too long I'd taste the bitter inside. Bleah.
   

Icky crap I remember HATING:

1. The vitamins Mom made us take instead of Flintstone vitamins.
   
2. Real aspirin, or any other "adult" medicine.
   
3. The revolting syrup Mom gave us for stomachaches. It tasted like sour prunes.
   
4. Anything administered by syringe. No thank you.
   

Jan. 15: Happy MLK Day

April just e-mailed this little gem:

April: "Emma, what did you learn about Martin Luther King at school?"
Emma (5): "He is a brown man. He says to be good to people and don’t kill people."
Trevor (3): "I won’t kill him."

Jan. 14: What Vic needs

Here's a fun game. Google "[your name] needs" and see what you find. According to the Interweb, Vic needs about 507 things, including:

• ...a chocolate fix, but he's too lazy to walk out of the house to buy some
  
• ...high hopes (high apple pie in the sky hopes?)
  
• ...constant maintenance (so I'm not the only that thinks so?)
  
• ...some coffee just to calm him down a little bit (yeah, he talks waaaay too much)
  
• ...to be able to add (hm, and I thought Asians were good at math)
  
• ...to be prepared to answer to the presidents
  
• ...his Sacred Stars of the Milky Way lodge regalia for a special meeting (one o' those Stonecutters things, I guess)
  
• ...a trip into the Scottish highlands
  
• ...more love (what a whiner)
  
• ...a face lift
  
• ...a hug (altogether now: "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh...")
  
• ...fixing (nah, he had that taken care of four years ago)
  
• ...a hammer (so he can hammer in the morning, hammer in the evening, all over this land...)
  
• ...help all the time
  
• ...to spring for a dictionary and look up the meaning of "irony" (although I don't recommend it if it will in any way make me look bad)
  
• ...to stay exactly the way he has been for the past five seasons (that's what I tell him but I think he knows the truth)
  
• ...a kitchen assistant and a weekend waitress (yeah, I pretty much hate working in the kitchen)
  
• ...to kill Shane for there to be completion (okaaaay...)
  
• ...this CD (Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds??? I KNEW it!)
  
• ...little introduction
  
• ...a skunk and a hedgehog (Just two of the critters Katie and Jack have recently asked for)
  
• ...a bath
  
• ...more competition and panda loving these days (Sure.)
  
• ...Barbie and Barbie needs Vic (So I've heard him screaming in his sleep)
  
• ...aspirin but Norris says lavender oil on the temples is the thing!
  
• ...to kill monsters to be an effective monster
  
• ...to speak to you in the next six weeks
  
• ...to do as he is suggested (duh)
  
• ...$50,000 to pay a private investigator looking for his missing wife (wuh-huh???)
  

Heh heh. That was fun.

--Jen

Jan. 13: Ten things

Ten things I don't expect anyone but me, my sister and my mom will ever truly "get":

1. "Fiiiiiiiish!"
   
2. "She's got freckles on her but I love her"
   
3. Juniper
   
4. "I don't snore, I just sleep that way."
   
5. What is so not funny about repeatedly being pushed outside nekkid, and why a dog food sandwich is perfectly justifiable revenge
   
6. The legend of Onion McBride
   
7. A swimsuit/pantyhose ensemble worn in the camp showers is an acceptable form of modesty
   
8. Free mobile-to-mobile calling: awesome. Bankrupting Cingular: priceless.
   
9. The value (and annoyance) in learning the "rap" part* of "We Go Together" backwards
   
10. Sometimes making up for a few rough years just takes a few good laughs (and a few new nicknames for a few real jackasses)

Geez, I'm lucky. I love them girls.

--------------------------------
*Specifically:
Ramma lamma lamma ka dingity ding da dong
Shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yippity boom da boom
Chang chang changity chang shoo bop
Yip da dip da dip shoo bop sha dooby do
Boogy boogy boogy boogy shooby sho wap sho wap
Sha na na na na na na na yippity dip da do
Ramma lamma lamma ka dingity ding da dong
Shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yippity boom sha boom
Chang chang changity chang shoo bop
Yip da dip da dip shoo bopp sha dooby do
Boogy boogy boogy boogy shooby sho wap sho wap
Sha na na na na na na na yippity dip da do
A womp bop a looma a womp bam boom

--Jennifer

Jan. 11: Crack is wack

Jan. 9: Katie's teeth

I finally took a picture of Katie's new smile.

Oh, and the dark stuff on her bottom teeth is food. I shoulda had her brush her teeth first, I know. Careless mothering.

--J.

Jan. 9: Fun with statistics

Today's site is How Many of Me?. According to their database (compiled from 1990 U.S. Census data):

• There are 1,397,854 people in the U.S. with the first name Jennifer. It is statistically the 21st most popular first name (tied with two other first names). More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Jennifer are female (shock!).
  
• No one in the U.S. has the last name Manullang. Does this mean that in 1990 all the Manullangs in the U.S. were illegal aliens?
  
• There are 330 people with the last name Saltmarsh.
  
• There are two people in the U.S. with the name Jennifer Saltmarsh.
  
• There are 334,465 people in the U.S. with the first name Victor. Statistically the 175th most popular first name (tied with three other first names) and 99.55 percent of people with the first name Victor are male.
  
• There are 169,482 people in the U.S. with the first name Katie. Statistically the 355th most popular first name (tied with 2 other first names). More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Katie are female.
  
• There are 635,933 people in the U.S. with the first name Kathleen. Statistically the 75th most popular first name. More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Kathleen are female.
  
• There are 473,950 people in the U.S. with the first name Jack. Statistically the 115th most popular first name. 99.68 percent of people with the first name Jack are male.
  
• There are 17,998 people in the U.S. with the first name Jackson. Statistically the 1376th most popular first name (tied with 49 other first names). More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Jackson are male.
  
• There are 960 people in the U.S. with the last name Nienhuis. Statistically the 28072nd most popular last name (tied with 1330 other last names).
  
• There are 0 people in the U.S. with the first name Presley. This name is not found in our database; this means the name is relatively uncommon.
  
• There are 17,998 people in the U.S. with the first name Julianne. Statistically the 1376th most popular first name (tied with 49 other first names). More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Julianne are female.
  
• There are 76,492 people in the U.S. with the first name Sonya. Statistically the 610th most popular first name (tied with 12 other first names). More than 99.9 percent of people with the first name Sonya are female.
  
• James is the most popular first name
  
• Smith is the most common last name
  

Number of people in the U.S. named:

• Kathy Saltmarsh - 0
  
• Kathy Voss - 33
  
• Mary Jenny - 21
  
• Mary Saltmarsh - 4
  
• Paul Jenny - 8
  
• Lori Baughman - 19
  
• Lori Lassen - 2
  
• Ed Reilly - 6
  
• Deanna Peterson - 122
  
• Deanna Gutierrez - 58
  
• Debi Peterson - 8
  
• Debi Nelson - 12
  
• Chris Nienhuis - 1
  
• Martin Risby - 1 cool dude
  
• Lisa Ross - 1,014
  
• Lisa Nicholson - 232
  
• April Knudson - 7
  
• April Jordan - 180
  
• Jim Jordan - 138
  
• Bjordan Jordan - 0
  
• Alisa Lister - 1
  
• Erin Brown - 1,378
  
• Erin McGovney - 0
  
• Erin McBrowney - 0


• Debbie McGomey - 0
  

This web site is as big a time-waster as zillow! Enjoy your unproductive afternoon--

J.

Jan. 8: Married, but looking

I already mentioned my infatuation with that yummy little Justin Timberlake, right? Yeah, I know I'm almost 40 and he's... um... younger. But the heart wants what it wants!

So the other night Vic and I were watching TV. A commercial came on for that new movie Justin is in, and I said, "Look, there's my Justin!" Vic turned to me and said, "Didn't you go to school with his mom?"

My next husband will know better than to say such evil things.

Jan. 8: It's called "frivolous litigation"

Oh my word. Some people just piss me right off.

About 15 years ago I broke a tooth when I chomped on something rock-like in a hamburger in Disneyland. After months of interviews by all sorts of Disney representatives, investigations by the patty distributor, bun distributor, and fry cook, Disney could not find any proof that the rock thing came from their food (I guess my four dining companions were unreliable witnesses???). Still, as a "good customer service gesture" they paid my dental expenses. I was perfectly fine with this outcome. Breaking my tooth didn't ruin my day at Disneyland, I didn't have to pay anything to have it fixed, and even though it took quite a long time to get everything resolved, I never felt like they weren't taking me seriously. (Moral of the story: if you bite into something and you think it might have broken a tooth, spit it out immediately. It'll be easier for everyone involved.)

Apparently not everyone is happy with an outcome such as mine. Some people want lots of attention and sympathy, and goddess knows what else. This idiot says Tigger intentionally punched his nerdy kid and now he's telling his sob story to anyone who will listen.

First of all, it clearly looks like an accident, but even so, it's obvious this guy just wants Disney to give him a bunch of money. What a jackass. This is the kind of stuff we want to teach our kids??? Who cares if it's an accident? Who cares if you're not hurt? They're Disney--let's make them pay!

Here's the footage from CBS News, including an interview with the dad, kid, and attorney (can't you see the dollar signs in that dude's eyes???). And you know before the interview they had a little pow-wow with the kid over what he should say when they ask how he's feeling. "Oh, the pain! I got inadvertently hit by a stuffed animal three days ago and now I'm in traction and I can barely move but I got my Demerol so it's all good. That's all I really wanted anyway."

I gotta side with Disney on this one, folks. I mean, if the dude inside Tigger really did punch the kid and it really was unprovoked, then Disney definitely needs to apologize (if nothing else). My goodness, even if it was provoked, he shouldn't have done it. But it doesn't look intentional at all. It looks like... well, I don't know what it looks like, but I know one thing: these weenies are money-grubbing a-holes, and the kid's going to grow up to be one too.

People make me hate them.

Jan. 5: I doubt this is too far from truth

An item from The Onion (old, yes, but I'd never seen it. Not sure why it's a headline today):

Bush Tearfully Addresses Nation After Watching Field Of Dreams

September 7, 2005 Issue 41•36

WASHINGTON, DC—Moments after watching a TNT afternoon showing of the 1989 sports tearjerker Field Of Dreams Sunday, a visibly moved President Bush interrupted national television broadcasts to address the nation. "My fellow Americans, I am telling you, we all must see this movie together," said a moist-eyed Bush, whose voice broke several times during the address. "I don't usually cry during movies, but... well, when I bought the Texas Rangers, I had hoped baseball could bring me and my dad together, but he was always too busy being president, and he's getting up there now, and... America just really needs to see this movie, is all." Two-thirds of Americans polled said they would not watch the film with the president, complaining that Bush tries to recite every line along with the movie, and always says, "Wasn't that great?" after his favorite parts.

Jan. 3: Just this side of Muzak (tm)

If you haven't seen this video for "Here it Goes Again" (OK Go), take three minutes and watch it now. I first saw it a few months ago and I'm not really surprised it's still big talk. These guys are talented and must have lots of time on their hands.

Watching this made me think of some of the really popular videos in the early age of MTV. Then this morning I heard a song on the radio that made me smile for a good half hour afterward. I love when that happens. This all got me to thinking about my own personal collection of important/memorable songs from over the years. If someone were to make a movie of my life (lord help us), this is the music that would probably have to be in it:

1. When I was really young, I pretty much liked whatever my big sister liked. Donny Osmond? You betcha. Bobby Sherman? Right on. The Jackson Five? Gotta love 'em. But the two songs that definitely stand out in my memory are "Puppy Love" (Donny) and "Jennifer" (Bobby). I've looked all over the 'net for an mp3 of "Jennifer" but I can't find it. Maybe if I help with the lyrics? "Jennifer... Jennifer... and now (something something something something)... Jennifer..."
   
2. We got hold of our mom's collection of 45s and played them on Kathy's paper denim record player. My favorite was "I Enjoy Being a Girl." Please don't ask who sang it, that stuff just wasn't important to me then.
   
3. Our mother sang in the car a lot (don't worry, Mom, I've forgiven you). I don't remember listening to the radio much, but we'd take one of those big cassette players and put it on the front seat between us and listen to tapes we'd made by putting that big cassette player on "record" right next to the stereo. What lives large in my memory are many soundtracks. Fiddler on the Roof, Brigadoon, The Sound of Music, Dr. Dolittle, and some Disney things. (I found out Vic's family listened to a lot of those same things. Poor Katie and Jack... they have no hope for a normal life with us as parents.)
   
4. In grade school I started listening to the Music Machine records: Sir Oliver's Song, The Birthday Party, Bullfrogs & Butterflies, etc. It's scary when something triggers a memory of those songs and I can still sing every word.
   
5. Middle school. Ah, middle school. The years of Air Supply, David Gates & Bread (the song they used in The Hardy Boys when Shaun Cassidy's girlfriend was killed still get me), the Grease soundtrack, Hall & Oates, Blondie. Yikes.
   
6. Finally, high school brought some musical interests that I need not be embarrassed by! The Footloose soundtrack, especially "Almost Paradise," of course--I was a teenage girl, after all. I listened to a lot of the top-40 stuff of Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, Van Halen (just 1984, really), Amy Grant and Lionel Richie. Deanna had more unusual tastes in alternative/new wave/obscure bands and I adopted some of those as my own. The Thompson Twins were my absolute favorite. Does anyone not get chills when they hear "If You Were Here" at the end of Sixteen Candles??? I don't hear it much anymore, but "Don't Mess with Doctor Dream" still reminds me of a trip to the beach in a school van, trading headphones back and forth to hear that first part: "oo oo oo oo ow, oo oo oo-ow" over and over and over. Depeche Mode's "Blasphemous Rumors" was my favorite single, among many good ones, on the Catching Up With Depeche Mode album. (Yes, as in record album.) And when I hear these, I turn the radio way up: "If You Leave" (O.M.D.), "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (Simple Minds), "Sunglasses at Night" (Corey Hart), "You Spin Me Round" (Dead or Alive), "No One is to Blame" (Howard Jones), "Beats So Lonely" (Charlie Sexton), "Take on Me" (a-ha), "Forever Young" (Alphaville), "Walk Away From Love" (Yaz), "Perfect Way" (Scritti Politti), "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)," "Two Divided By Zero" (Pet Shop Boys), "Obsession" (Animotion--the memories this song triggers are of five rather stupid stalker girls, and more than a little frightening).
   
7. In college I stepped away from a lot of the moody music and started listening to cheerier tunes. Sorta. I was still a big Howard Jones fan, still bought everything new by Depeche Mode and Thompson Twins. But the Walla Walla radio stations were a bit less progressive and more top-40 so we sometimes missed out on the NEW new wave stuff. I began to listen to jazz artists like Dave Grusin, David Benoit, Yellowjackets, Basia, etc. I also got interested in Michael W. Smith, Sandy Patty, Steven Curtis Chapman, Take 6 and Prism, some contemporary Christian artists. There aren't very many songs from this era that stand out as memorable (big surprise). However, George Michael's Faith album was pretty huge. Karen got it our sophomore year and everyone on our hall borrowed it to record for themselves. For months, it was just about the only music you could hear if you walked around third floor! I still love the whole CD. It reminds me of Vic and his friends throwing rocks at our windows to get us to come out and walk in the snow with them. It also makes me think of my roommate Marilee, who I've since lost touch with, and her huge bright yellow boombox.
   
8. After graduation from WWC I moved back to Portland and had access to decent radio stations again. Karen, Vic and I went to a few clubs, many concerts and collected a gazillion CDs. During this time I apparently lost all my senses, because I started listening to a LOT of country music. The songs that stand out when I think about this era are "Shut Up and Kiss Me" and "Passionate Kisses" (Mary Chapin Carpenter), "The Dance" (Garth Brooks), "That Was a River" (Collin Raye), "She's in Love With the Boy" and "The Song Remembers When" (Trisha Yearwood), "Whenever You Come Around" (Vince Gill) and "Don't Take the Girl" (Tim McGraw). Instead of pitying me for a lapse in good judgment, try admiring me for being so honest about my dark past, mmkay?
   
9. I got out of the country $#!+ phase easily, because suddenly Garth Brooks started singing like James Taylor, who I already liked anyway. It reminded me of normal music and I gladly transitioned to a lighter side of the Force. Late 90s = Billy Joel, Sting, James Taylor, Bette Midler, and lots of books on tape because I spent so much time in traffic on I-205.
   
10. At the beginning of the 21st century, we became parents and things changed yet again. Now if the kids are in the car we listen to Radio Disney or CDs of Disney music; I don't love it but I want to know the kind of stuff they're into. We also listen to a lot of Broadway musical soundtracks, and lately (now that Christmas music has been put away for a few months) not much else. A little Jack Johnson here and there. Some Josh Groban. Elvis. Barenaked Ladies. Five for Fighting. My secret shame is that new Justin Timberlake CD. He's just a li'l bit dreamy.
    

So, these are some of my favorite albums of all time, in no particular order:

• The Grease soundtrack
  
• The Footloose soundtrack
  
• Here's to Future Days (Thompson Twins)
  
• Catching Up With Depeche Mode (Depeche Mode)
  
• The Bridge (Billy Joel)
  
• New Moon Shine (James Taylor)
  
• Faith (George Michael)
  
• The Producers (2001 original Broadway cast)
  
• Wicked (2003 original Broadway cast)

Although my musical tastes could easily be described as "eclectic," I am under no illusions that they are "eclectic" in the fashionable sense. I know I'm a dork when it comes to music. But as for a list of possible songs for the soundtrack from a movie of my life, this is it.

--Jen
P.S. Here's a site that helps you create a list of your own personal theme music for everyday activities: Soundtrack to Your Life Survey